Northrop Gets Ok To Start 2nd New Carrier

NEWPORT NEWS — Though the next-generation aircraft carrier still is being designed at Northrop Grumman Newport News, the shipyard is starting to plan a second one.

The yard said Wednesday it has landed a $24.6 million contract from the Navy for early design work on the CVN-79.

The bulk of the construction on the still-unnamed CVN-78 won't begin until 2008 even though detailed designs on the next-generation carriers are underway. Construction is scheduled to begin on CVN-79 in 2012 with delivery to the Navy in 2019. That's a stretch of at least 13 years from now until the second ship's completion.

The new group of ships, to replace the Nimitz class, will feature a new nuclear power plant that will generate more electricity. This will allow some systems to be driven by electricity rather than by the steam power used on existing carriers. One example: the catapult system used to launch planes will be electromagnetic.